A review of current education industry topics from the publisher of Learning A–Z

“Every day I make an effort to go toward what I don't understand. This wandering leads to the accidental learning that continually shapes my life.”
—Yo-Yo Ma, cellist

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Bob Holl is the co-founder and VP/Publisher of Learning A–Z. His passion is creating and delivering high-quality educational resources that help teachers help kids learn.

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Monday, April 20, 2009

Race to the Top: The Education Stimulus Reform Challenge

The first round of monies from the education stimulus package was freed up earlier this month, and some reports, to my dismay, indicate a feeding frenzy over the funds.

 

Education Week reports that while the funds are intended to supplement and support existing school district budgets, some cash-strapped governors and legislative officials are arguing that they should cut millions from their education budgets and use the federal funds to fill in the gap. The freed-up money would be used for other purposes. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan fired this warning shot: "If states are doing things that are not in the best interests of children, they are going to disqualify themselves and take themselves out of the running for billions of dollars."

 

You tell 'em, Arne.

 

U.S. News and World Report asks "Will Stimulus Money Lead to Actual Education Reform?" That's truly the question of the day. To keep states that want more federal funds on the path to school reform, Duncan has attached some conditions, such as reports on which districts use student achievement to evaluate teacher performance. He has also created a $5 billion "Race to the Top" fund for states that have made progress on the following fronts: 1) improve teacher effectiveness, 2) create better assessments aligned to rigorous standards, 3) fix failing schools, and 4) use data systems to track student achievement.

 

I want to see the winners of "Race to the Top." I want to hear what they've done and how they did it. This race is more important than any Iron Man, Olympic competition, or triathlon. This is a race to improve education.

 

Posted by bob on April 20, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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